She-wolf Summer Smith is desperate to make up
for a past she can’t deny — and the best way to accomplish that is to take on a
deadly mission for her new pack. She’ll sacrifice anything to clear her name
and protect the people she loves. With the future of shifters across the
Southwest resting in her hands, it’s the worst possible time to fall in love —
with a bear, no less.

Burly bear shifter Drew Kovacs hasn’t traveled
to the Southwest to look for trouble, and he sure isn’t looking for love. But
the second he lays eyes on the she-wolf with a mesmerizing smile and haunted
eyes, he knows she’s the one. There’s just one problem — Summer is about to
plunge head-first into danger, and he sure as hell won’t let her go alone. But
he can’t show up and blow her undercover mission, either. Unless…

Behind the doors of
the Blue Moon Saloon, alpha shifters confront their darkest fears and their
deepest desires.
This book is a complete standalone story - no cliffhangers!

*************

Excerpt:

The bell over the door chimed merrily, and Summer
looked up as four big men filed in. As always, her heart skipped a beat in
anticipation. Would Drew be among them?

“Having a good winter, Summer?” That was Mack, the
jokester of the group.

“Hi, sweetheart. Got some of that coffee today?”
Sam asked.

She greeted each with a genuine smile because they
were all great guys. But when a fourth man crowded the doorway, her smile
stretched cheek to cheek. Her whole face heated and flushed, and a boom like
waves breaking over distant rocks registered in her ears.

Drew. Drew.
Drew! her inner wolf
cheered.

The other three men had come striding in like it
was a second home, but Drew paused in the doorway. He did that every time,
wiping his boots in a practiced right-left, right-left slide that said he’d
been raised to do that at home. Then he pulled off his hat and stepped over the
threshold.

Such a polite
bear, her grandmother
would have sighed.

He rubbed a thickly muscled shoulder against the
doorframe in a territory-marking move that would have been a blatant challenge
to the bears that owned the place if they weren’t his cousins. And the way he
did it screamed, This place might not be
mine, but it’s mine to protect. Keep out, strangers. Don’t even think about
bringing trouble here.

“Morning, Summer,” he rumbled, locking eyes with
her. His were a pale, gold-hued green, and they sparked with wonder when they
took her in.

“Morning, Drew,” she said, trying not to squeak.

It was ridiculous, how a perfectly normal exchange
of greetings could set off a dozen wild fantasies. Like hearing those words
while naked and sleepy in bed. Like replying and winding her leg around his as
they lay skin to skin.

Morning,
Summer, he’d say as she woke
up, like it was the best morning ever because she was at his side.

Or maybe he’d just wake her with a quiet kiss and
a touch — one that led to more touching and kissing and a long, unhurried
session of making love.

Morning,
Summer, he’d say when they
dropped back onto the sheets, sweaty and satisfied. She’d rest her head on his
chest — a chest so broad and so piled with muscle, she had dozens of options
for exactly what subsection to try out — and run her hand down his thick,
corded arms.

Summer cleared her throat and blinked. It was
ridiculous, the way her body reacted to him. Her mind fluttered and took wing
like a hysterical butterfly set loose in a meadow blooming with wildflowers.

Get yourself
together, girl, she ordered
herself.

But her inner wolf remained all dreamy, batting
its eyes and wagging its tail.

A crush. It had to be a crush, right? And
seriously, what woman wouldn’t have a crush on a man like Drew? He was big,
broad, and quiet. Honorable, too, like all bear shifters were. His
close-cropped beard was thick, dark, and neatly trimmed, and she longed to tip
forward and nuzzle it with her chin.

When he stepped closer, his eyes went a little
hazy, too, as if he was thinking the same thing. The whole world started to
fade away — the rumble of truck tires on the street, the quiet clink of
silverware in the café, the murmurs of the other men. Everything receded to the
far corner of her mind like a vague memory, and all she could see was Drew. All
she could hear was the sharp intake of his breath as he looked at her, and all
she could register was the rich, woodsy scent of him. She focused on his lips —
thick, round lips that somehow fit perfectly on that edgy, masculine face, and
she leaned forward even more. Their arms brushed, making blood rush through her
veins.

Mate, her wolf murmured. My destined mate.

Mate, she swore she heard him think. My destined mate.

Then, Bang!
The back door opened, and Jessica’s cheery voice snapped her back to her heels.

“Morning, everyone!” her boss called, swinging a
platter of muffins so fresh from the oven, they steamed.

Drew hastened a step back, and his eyes dropped to
the floor. Summer gulped and blinked desperately, trying to find her focus
again. Focus on something other than her favorite bear shifter, that is.

“Blueberry or apple?” Jessica held a platter of
oven-fresh muffins up toward Drew.

“Um… uh…” He seemed as tongue tied as Summer felt.

Luke reached in and helped himself. “Both, thanks.
Can I get a coffee, too?”

Summer forced her feet into motion.“Coffee, coming right up.” She stepped behind
the counter to fill four mugs and inhaled deeply, hoping the rich scent would
bring her back to her senses.

“Mind if we take these next door?” Sam asked as
Jessica served more muffins.

Summer looked around. What was going on next door?
And why did Jessica’s face cloud? In fact, everyone went serious at the same
time.

Then she remembered. Soren, the alpha of this
unusual mixed bear-wolf clan, had called a meeting with the wolves of Twin Moon
Ranch. A meeting she hadn’t wanted to think about because the subject was a
vile enemy that had staged several attacks on the hard-working shifters she’d
grown to love.

Worse, that enemy was the band of rogues she’d
once been forced to work for. The rogues she’d unwittingly assisted through so
many heinous crimes.

Summer went stiff all over, remembering just who
she was. Even if Drew felt anything for her, disgust would make him reject her
in the end. It didn’t matter that she’d been working her ass off in the café
and saloon, trying to prove she meant everything she’d said about her reluctant
involvement with the Blue Blood rogues. But she knew she could never truly sweat
away the guilt of what she’d been a part of. Her past would always be part of
her. A black mark. A steel-barred cage. No matter where she went, no matter how
hard she tried, she couldn’t outrun her past.

And she certainly couldn’t dream about taking a
bear as a mate.

Could she?

*************

About the Author:

USA Today and Amazon best selling author Anna
Lowe loves putting the “hero” back into heroine and letting location ignite a
passionate romance. She loves dogs, sports, and travel – and letting those
inspire her fiction. On any given weekend, you might find her hiking in the
mountains or hunched over her laptop, working on her latest story – be that
travel romance, adventure romance, or paranormal romance. Either way, the day
will end with a chunk of dark chocolate and a good read.